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GAO-12-336R:
United States Government Accountability Office:
Washington, DC 20548:
January 31, 2012:
Congressional Committees:
Subject: Defense Infrastructure: DOD Did Not Fully Address the
Supplemental Reporting Requirements in Its Energy Management Report:
This report formally transmits our January 2012 briefing to committees
in response to section 332(c) of the National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2010[Footnote 1] (section 332) and our
response to House Report 111-166[Footnote 2] regarding the Department
of Defense's (DOD) energy-efficiency programs. The act and House
report directed DOD to report on a specific set of energy issues and
directed GAO to review DOD's report and submit to Congress a report on
our findings. A summary of the eight required energy-efficiency
reporting issues is included as enclosure I. Details on our findings
and the basis for them are provided in enclosure II.
Background:
The House Report (H.R. Rep. No. 111-166) directed the Secretary of
Defense to conduct an assessment of seven specific energy issues and
to submit the findings and recommendations resulting from the
assessment to the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House
Committee on Armed Services. Also, the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2010, section 332(b), states that the first report
submitted by the Secretary of Defense under 10 U.S.C. § 2925(a) (DOD's
Annual Energy Management Report) after the date of the enactment of
the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2010 shall include information on a similar
list of eight specific energy issues.[Footnote 3]
The first report submitted by DOD in response to 10 U.S.C. § 2925(a)
after the date of the enactment of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2010 was
its Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Energy Management Report, issued in May
2010. As we previously reported,[Footnote 4] the Fiscal Year 2009
Annual Energy Management Report did not include information on the
eight specific issues identified by the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2010. DOD
officials stated that they planned to comply with the reporting
requirement by including the required information in their Fiscal Year
2010 Annual Energy Management Report. The officials noted that the
Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Energy Management Report would be the first
report commenced and developed under the expanded section 332
reporting requirements. DOD's Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Energy
Management Report was issued in July 2011.
Scope and Methodology:
To examine the extent to which DOD's Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Energy
Management Report addresses the expanded reporting requirements
contained in the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2010, we analyzed the report and
compared it with the legislative requirements. Additionally, we
interviewed officials in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of
Defense, Installations and Environment; and in the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Operational Energy Plans and Programs, to
ascertain what changes, if any, were incorporated into the 2010 Report
to address the reporting requirements, and what challenges DOD faced
in complying with those reporting requirements. We determined that the
data were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our review.
We conducted this performance audit from November 2011 through January
2012 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit
to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable
basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objective.
We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for
our findings and conclusions based on our audit objective.
Summary:
Our analysis showed that DOD's Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Energy
Management Report fully addressed two, did not address one (issue 4),
and partially addressed five of the eight expanded reporting
requirements (see table 1). In some cases, it was difficult to
determine the extent to which DOD had addressed an issue because
information related to a specific reporting requirement was fragmented
or scattered throughout the report. With regard to the one issue not
addressed, DOD indicated it had plans to address it in a separate
report tentatively scheduled to be published in early 2012.
Table 1: Extent to Which DOD's Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Energy
Management Report Addressed the Eight Expanded Reporting Requirements
(Issues) Mandated by Section 332 of the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2010:
Reporting issue: 1. A determination of whether the tools that exist as
of the date of the enactment of this Act, including the Energy
Conservation Investment Program and the Energy Savings Performance
Contracts (ESPCs) Program, are sufficient to support renewable energy
projects to achieve the Department's installation energy goals, or if
new funding mechanisms would be beneficial;
Our assessment: Fully addressed.
Reporting issue: 2. A determination of the cost and feasibility of a
policy that would require new power generation projects established on
installations to be able to switch to provide power for military
operations in the event of a commercial grid outage;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Reporting issue: 3. An assessment of the extent to which state and
regional laws and regulations and market structures provide
opportunities or obstacles to establish renewable energy projects on
military installations;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Reporting issue: 4. A determination of the cost and feasibility of
developing or acquiring equipment or systems that would result in
maximized use of renewable energy sources at contingency locations;
Our assessment: Not addressed.[A]
Reporting issue: 5. An assessment of the feasibility of meeting the
Department's renewable energy goals with on-base renewable energy
production rather than with renewable energy credits;
Our assessment: Fully addressed.
Reporting issue: 6. An analysis of the percentage of new construction
projects subject to the Department's current building construction
sustainable design standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design standards) that include a renewable energy component, and a
determination as to whether the criteria of the Department's design
standards, as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, are
consistent with the overall goals, including renewable energy goals,
of the Secretary;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Reporting issue: 7. The feasibility and cost of developing net-zero
energy installations and a detailed assessment, by installation, of
power production (including renewable energy) measured against energy
consumption;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Reporting issue: 8. A determination of whether a dedicated funding
mechanism for renewable energy projects for stand-alone facilities,
including National Guard and Reserve centers, would encourage greater
use of renewable energy sources both at existing facilities and in new
construction;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Source: GAO's analysis of DOD data.
[A] DOD plans to address this in a separate report tentatively
scheduled to be published in early 2012.
[End of table]
For additional information on the results of our work, see the
briefing at pages 7 through 21 of this report.
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
In oral comments on a draft of our briefing, officials from the Office
of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and
Environment (Facilities Energy) commented that they believed the
finding that DOD has not addressed issue number 4 is inaccurate.
Department officials stated that they are in the process of preparing
a report in response to Section 333 of the Duncan Hunter National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009[Footnote 5] that will
address this issue and provided GAO a copy of the draft. In our report
we acknowledged that the department plans to issue a separate report
on this issue and shared a draft of the report with GAO. However,
because the department previously told us it planned to include the
required information in its fiscal year 2010 Annual Energy Management
Report but did not, we stand behind our finding that DOD's 2010 report
did not address this issue. DOD also provided technical comments,
which we have incorporated into this report as applicable.
We are sending copies of this report to appropriate congressional
committees and to the Secretary of Defense. In addition, this letter
will be made available at no charge on the GAO website at [hyperlink,k
http://www.gao.gov].
Should you or your staff have any questions concerning this report,
please contact James R. McTigue, Jr., at (202) 512-7968 or
mctiguej@gao.gov or Frank Rusco at (202) 512-3841 or ruscof@gao.gov.
Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public
Affairs may be found on the last page of this letter. Key contributors
to this correspondence are listed in enclosure III.
Signed by:
James R. McTigue, Jr., Acting Director:
Defense Capabilities and Management:
Signed by:
Frank Rusco, Director:
Natural Resources and Environment:
Enclosures-3:
List of Committees:
The Honorable Carl Levin:
Chairman:
The Honorable John McCain:
Ranking Member:
Committee on Armed Services:
United States Senate:
The Honorable Howard McKeon:
Chairman:
The Honorable Adam Smith:
Ranking Member:
Committee on Armed Services:
House of Representatives:
[End of section]
Enclosure I:
Summary of Section 332(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111-84, 2009)): Additional Material
Required for DOD's First Expanded Report:
1. A determination of whether the tools that exist as of the date of
the enactment of this Act, including the Energy Conservation
Investment Program and the Energy Savings Performance Contracts
(ESPCs) Program, are sufficient to support renewable energy projects
to achieve the Department's installation energy goals, or if new
funding mechanisms would be beneficial.
2. A determination of the cost and feasibility of a policy that would
require new power generation projects established on installations to
be able to switch to provide power for military operations in the
event of a commercial grid outage.
3. An assessment of the extent to which state and regional laws and
regulations and market structures provide opportunities or obstacles
to establish renewable energy projects on military installations.
4. A determination of the cost and feasibility of developing or
acquiring equipment or systems that would result in maximized use of
renewable energy sources at contingency locations.
5. An assessment of the feasibility of meeting the Department's
renewable energy goals with on-base renewable energy production rather
than with renewable energy credits.
6. An analysis of the percentage of new construction projects subject
to the Department's current building construction sustainable design
standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards)
that include a renewable energy component, and a determination as to
whether the criteria of the Department's design standards, as in
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, are consistent with
the overall goals, including renewable energy goals, of the Secretary.
7. The feasibility and cost of developing net-zero energy
installations and a detailed assessment, by installation, of power
production (including renewable energy) measured against energy
consumption.
8. A determination of whether a dedicated funding mechanism for
renewable energy projects for stand-alone facilities, including
National Guard and Reserve centers, would encourage greater use of
renewable energy sources both at existing facilities and in new
construction.
[End of section]
Enclosure II:
Defense Infrastructure: DOD Did Not Fully Address the Supplemental
Reporting Requirements in Its Energy Management Report:
Briefing for Congressional Committees:
January 2012:
Contents:
Introduction;
Researchable Objective;
Scope and Methodology;
Summary and Findings;
Discussion of Energy Issues 1 through 8;
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation;
Related GAO Product.
[End of section]
Introduction:
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2010
[Footnote 6] House Report 111-166, directed the Department of Defense
(DOD) to conduct assessments and report on a specific set of energy
issues. By doing so, the committee stated that DOD could identify
impediments that inhibit installations from furthering their renewable-
energy goals and make recommendations for actions to address those
impediments. Furthermore, the committee report and NDAA directed the
GAO Comptroller General to review DOD’s report and submit to Congress
a report on such review.
On September 29, 2010, we reported[Footnote 7] that DOD’s first
submission following the enactment of the NDAA, the Fiscal Year 2009
Annual Energy Management Report, did not include information on the
eight specific issues as required. We also reported that according to
DOD officials, DOD planned to comply with the reporting requirement by
including the required information in its Fiscal Year 2010 Annual
Energy Management Report. That report was issued in July 2011.
[End of section]
Researchable Objective:
To what extent does the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Defense Annual
Energy Management Report address the supplemental reporting
requirements mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2010?
[End of section]
Scope and Methodology:
To conduct this work we did the following:
* We examined the extent to which DOD’s Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Energy
Management Report addressed the reporting requirements from the fiscal
year 2010 NDAA, by reviewing the report and comparing it with the
legislative requirements.
* We interviewed officials in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary
of Defense, Installations and Environment; and in the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Operational Energy Plans and Programs about any
changes that might have been incorporated into the 2010 report to
address the legislative requirements, and about any challenges in
complying with the reporting requirements.
* We conducted this performance audit from November 2011 through
January 2012 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit
to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable
basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objective.
We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for
our findings and conclusions based on our audit objective.
[End of section]
Summary and Findings:
Table 1. Extent to which DOD’s Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Energy
Management Report addresses the eight supplemental reporting
requirements (issues) mandated by the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2010:
Reporting issue: 1. A determination of whether the tools that exist as
of the date of the enactment of this Act, including the Energy
Conservation Investment Program and the Energy Savings Performance
Contracts (ESPCs) Program, are sufficient to support renewable energy
projects to achieve the Department's installation energy goals, or if
new funding mechanisms would be beneficial;
Our assessment: Fully addressed.
Reporting issue: 2. A determination of the cost and feasibility of a
policy that would require new power generation projects established on
installations to be able to switch to provide power for military
operations in the event of a commercial grid outage;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Reporting issue: 3. An assessment of the extent to which state and
regional laws and regulations and market structures provide
opportunities or obstacles to establish renewable energy projects on
military installations;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Reporting issue: 4. A determination of the cost and feasibility of
developing or acquiring equipment or systems that would result in
maximized use of renewable energy sources at contingency locations;
Our assessment: Not addressed.[A]
Reporting issue: 5. An assessment of the feasibility of meeting the
Department's renewable energy goals with on-base renewable energy
production rather than with renewable energy credits;
Our assessment: Fully addressed.
Reporting issue: 6. An analysis of the percentage of new construction
projects subject to the Department's current building construction
sustainable design standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design standards) that include a renewable energy component, and a
determination as to whether the criteria of the Department's design
standards, as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, are
consistent with the overall goals, including renewable energy goals,
of the Secretary;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Reporting issue: 7. The feasibility and cost of developing net-zero
energy installations and a detailed assessment, by installation, of
power production (including renewable energy) measured against energy
consumption;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Reporting issue: 8. A determination of whether a dedicated funding
mechanism for renewable energy projects for stand-alone facilities,
including National Guard and Reserve centers, would encourage greater
use of renewable energy sources both at existing facilities and in new
construction;
Our assessment: Partially addressed.
Source: GAO's analysis of DOD data.
[A] DOD plans to address this in a separate report tentatively
scheduled to be published in early 2012.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Discussion of Energy Issues:
Issue 1: A determination of whether the tools that exist as of the
date of the enactment of this Act, including the Energy Conservation
Investment Program (ECIP)[Footnote 8] and the Energy Savings
Performance Contracts (ESPCs)[Footnote 9] Program, are sufficient to
support renewable energy projects to achieve the Department’s
installation energy goals, or if new funding mechanisms would be
beneficial.
* DOD reported: DOD determined that it is currently taking advantage
of existing tools as well as exploring other financing mechanisms for
renewable energy projects. DOD’s report emphasizes that all the
military departments plan on continuing the use of existing tools and
discusses using other financing alternatives. For example, while some
projects may be cost-prohibitive if the department must rely solely on
existing tools, such as military construction or ECIP appropriations,
other funding mechanisms such as third-party financing from utilities
and private developers could provide the level of funding needed for
these projects.
* What GAO found:In its report DOD discusses both existing tools-–such
as the ECIP and the ESPCs–-and new funding mechanisms-–such as third-
party financing. DOD’s report provides specific information on
funding and includes examples of the various tools that the department
currently employs, and is pursuing, in order to fund projects to meet
its energy goals. Furthermore, according to Officials from the Office
of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Installations and Energy,
DOD has the tools to execute renewable-energy projects appropriately
by using both appropriated funding as well as leveraging other funding
mechanisms.
* What GAO concluded:DOD fully addressed this issue.
Issue 2: A determination of the cost and feasibility of a policy that
would require new power generation projects established on
installations to be able to switch to provide power for military
operations in the event of a commercial grid outage.
* DOD reported: DOD considered the feasibility of a new policy to
address this issue; however, it did not address cost. In its report
DOD determined the following in terms of feasibility:
- The department can benefit from the flexibility to decide whether
new power-generation projects must be able to operate independently
from the commercial grid based primarily on protecting critical DOD
missions.
- A requirement to include this capability will increase costs due to
requirements for new infrastructure, such as installing electrical
transmission lines to areas on an installation where they would not
normally be installed.
* What GAO found: DOD did not address the cost element of this issue
in its report. According to DOD officials, cost is difficult to
address due to risk that is regional and site-specific. Further, DOD
officials
explained that the Defense Critical Infrastructure Program considers
costs of a variety of resources, such as water and electricity, in its
evaluations of how to protect an installation. The results of these
evaluations are contained in classified assessments.
* What GAO concluded: DOD has partially has addressed this issue in
that it determined feasibility, but has not addressed the cost element
of the issue.
Issue 3: An assessment of the extent to which state and regional laws
and regulations and market structures provide opportunities or
obstacles to establish renewable energy projects on military
installations.
* DOD reported: The Department discussed the consideration of market
and regulatory factors when planning renewable-energy projects. For
example, the report emphasizes the importance of three factors: local
demand for energy, local/regional energy prices, and regulatory
incentives. In its discussion of regulatory incentives, DOD refers to
several market structures, such as low-cost loans, loan guarantees,
grants, and tax incentives.
* What GAO found: It is unclear whether DOD’s assessment included a
review of state and regional laws and regulations, and if so, there is
no explanation of how DOD assessed the various state and regional laws
and regulations in its report. According to officials from the Office
of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Installations and Energy,
laws and regulations were assessed and the results of those
assessments are summarized in a by-installation chart included in the
report. However, there is no reference to the chart in the section of
the report that addresses this issue, and there are no references on
the chart to laws and regulations.
* What GAO concluded:DOD has partially addressed this issue by
discussing market structures, but it is unclear from reading the
report whether, how, or to what extent state and regional laws and
regulations were assessed.
Issue 4: A determination of the cost and feasibility of developing or
acquiring equipment or systems that would result in maximized use of
renewable energy sources at contingency locations.
* DOD reported: This issue was not addressed in DOD’s Fiscal Year 2010
Annual Energy Management Report.
* What GAO found: DOD officials had previously stated that they would
address the reporting requirements in their Fiscal Year 2010 Annual
Energy Management Report. However, the report does not include a
discussion of this issue. According to officials from the Office of
the Secretary of Defense’s Office of Operational Energy Plans and
Programs, this issue will be addressed in a report that they are
preparing in response to other legislation. That report is currently
being reviewed by the department with a target release date in early
2012.
* What GAO concluded: The fiscal year 2010 report that DOD submitted
to the Congressional committees did not address this issue.
Issue 5: An assessment of the feasibility of meeting the Department’s
renewable energy goals with on-base renewable energy production rather
than with renewable energy credits.[Footnote 10]
* DOD reported: The department is subject to two statutory renewable-
energy targets: one mandates that renewable energy produced or
procured must total a specific percentage of total facility
electricity consumption by 2025, and the other mandates that a
specific percentage of electricity consumption come from renewable
sources.[Footnote 11] DOD reports that it conducted a preliminary
assessment of renewable-energy potential at its installations using
fiscal year 2009 data that determined the department is well
positioned to meet its 2025 goal. The report notes that to add
certainty to the assessment, DOD will need additional in-depth
feasibility studies on a project-by-project basis at the installation
level. In meeting the second goal, DOD reports that the statute has
established targets, such as increasing renewable-energy consumption
to 5 percent in fiscal year 2010, and while it has not met this
requirement, the department continues to make progress. According to
the report, DOD expects that without using renewable-energy
certificates it can attain the 2025 goal, but it does not expect to
attain the other goal.
* What GAO found: DOD’s report includes an assessment of the
feasibility of meeting the department’s renewable energy goals with on-
base renewable-energy production rather than with renewable-energy
certificates. DOD’s results are clearly provided in trend analysis at
both the service and department wide level.
* What GAO concluded: DOD has fully addressed this issue. As stated in
its report, DOD has conducted an assessment and reported its
conclusion on the feasibility of meeting its renewable-energy goals
with on-base renewable-energy production rather than with renewable-
energy certificates.
Issue 6: An analysis of the percentage of new construction projects
subject to the Department’s current building construction sustainable
design standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
standards)[Footnote 12] that include a renewable energy component, and
a determination as to whether the criteria of the Department’s design
standards, as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, are
consistent with the overall goals, including renewable energy goals,
of the Secretary.
* DOD reported: On-site renewable energy generation at the facility
level does not contribute significantly to the Department’s renewable
energy generation. DOD plans to achieve renewable energy goals by
initiating large-scale, renewable energy generation projects, which
are not incorporated into current Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design standards. Those standards are consistent with
renewable energy goals, but likely will not significantly contribute
to adding generation capacity. Furthermore, DOD is including new
approaches to renewable technology in the overall design for new
military construction to make its infrastructure more energy self-
sufficient.
* What GAO found: DOD provided a list of new construction and funded
renewable energy initiatives for both the Army and the Air Force,
including a variety of renewable energy projects such as solar, wind,
and geothermal. The Navy did not submit its data to DOD for inclusion
in the report. The report does not include an analysis of the
percentage of new construction projects subject to DOD’s design and
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.Although DOD
’s design standard criteria appear to be consistent with renewable
energy goals, DOD informed us that these renewable energy projects
will not significantly contribute to meeting renewable energy goals.
* What GAO concluded: DOD has partially addressed this issue. The
report does not include data on the Navy, nor does it provide an
analysis of the percentage of new construction projects subject to the
Department’s current building construction sustainable design
standards that include a renewable energy component.
Index point for: GAO-12-79, page 24, footnote 1 for LEED definition in
footnote and page 1, first paragraph after the word “quality” in the
footnote.
Issue 7: The feasibility and cost of developing net-zero energy
installations[Footnote 13] and a detailed assessment, by installation,
of power production (including renewable energy) measured against
energy consumption.
* DOD reported: Net-zero energy is a concept of energy self-
sufficiency, based on minimized demand and use of local renewable-
energy sources. DOD determined that net-zero assessments on an
installation require in-depth analyses of energy use, the potential
for energy-consumption reduction, the potential for on-site renewable-
energy production, and local grid modifications required to control
energy supply from more-diverse and often intermittent sources. DOD
identified four pilot installations and several other net-zero
energy candidate installations and reported that a more-comprehensive
and in-depth net-zero feasibility study for each installation will be
required to develop cost estimates. Furthermore, each military
department will refine its net-zero energy installations focus based
on results from ongoing and planned studies.
* What GAO found: DOD officials reported that although the feasibility
of net-zero installations was assessed, cost was not assessed.
* What GAO concluded: DOD has partially addressed this issue. DOD’s
report describes its approach for evaluating the feasibility of net-
zero energy installations; however, it does not address the cost
aspect of the issue.
Issue 8: A determination of whether a dedicated funding mechanism for
renewable energy projects for stand-alone facilities, including
National Guard and Reserve centers, would encourage greater use of
renewable energy sources both at existing facilities and in new
construction.
* DOD reported: DOD components will execute energy projects that are
cost-effective over their life cycles, both at stand-alone facilities
and those that are connected with the commercial grid. The report also
notes that DOD has not identified a need for any funding mechanisms
for renewable-energy projects beyond those currently available.
* What GAO found: According to DOD officials, existing funding
mechanisms are sufficient to encourage greater use of renewable-energy
sources both at existing facilities and in new construction. They also
said the department has determined it will have the tools to execute
renewable-energy projects appropriately by using appropriated funding
and third-party financing.
* What GAO concluded: DOD has partially addressed this issue. DOD’s
response to this issue in its report was not complete. For example,
the report does not specifically address whether a dedicated funding
mechanism would encourage greater use of renewable-energy sources, and
it does not address National Guard and Reserve centers in the
discussion of stand-alone facilities.
[End of section]
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
In oral comments on a draft of this briefing, officials from the
Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and
Environment (Facilities Energy) commented that they believed the
finding that DOD has not addressed issue number 4 is inaccurate.
Department officials stated that they are in the process of preparing a
report in response to Section 333 of the Duncan Hunter National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 that will address this
issue and provided GAO a copy of the draft. In our briefing we
acknowledged that the department plans to issue a separate report on
this issue and provided GAO a copy of the draft. However, because the
department previously told us it planned to include the required
information in its fiscal year 2010 Annual Energy Management Report
but did not, we stand behind our finding that DOD’s 2010 report did
not address this issue. DOD also provided technical comments, which we
have incorporated into this briefing as applicable.
[End of section]
Related GAO Products:
Defense Infrastructure: Department of Defense’s Energy Supplemental
Report. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-988R].
Washington, D.C.: September 29, 2010.
Defense Infrastructure: Department of Defense Renewable Energy
Initiatives. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-681R].
Washington, D.C.: April 26, 2010.
Defense Infrastructure: DOD Needs to Take Actions to Address
Challenges in Meeting Federal Renewable Energy Goals. [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-104]. Washington, D.C.: December
18, 2009.
Defense Critical Infrastructure: Actions Needed to Improve the
Consistency, Reliability, and Usefulness of DOD’s Tier 1 Task Critical
Asset List. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-740R].
Washington, D.C.: July 17, 2009.
Federal Energy Management: Addressing Challenges through Better Plans
and Clarifying the Greenhouse Gas Emission Measure Will Help Meet Long-
term Goals for Buildings. [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-977]. Washington, D.C.: September
30, 2008.
Defense Management: Overarching Organizational Framework Needed to
Guide and Oversee Energy Reduction Efforts for Military Operations.
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-426]. Washington, D.C.:
March 13, 2008.
Advanced Energy Technologies: Budget Trends and Challenges for DOE’s
Energy R&D Program. [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-556T]. Washington, D.C.: March 5,
2008.
Transmission Lines: Issues Associated with High-Voltage Direct-Current
Transmission Lines along Transportation Rights of Way. [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-347R. Washington, D.C.: February 1,
2008.
Advanced Energy Technologies: Key Challenges to Their Development and
Deployment. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-550T].
Washington, D.C.: February 28, 2007.
Department of Energy: Key Challenges Remain for Developing and
Deploying Advanced Energy Technologies to Meet Future Needs.
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-106]. Washington, D.C.:
December 20, 2006.
Renewable Energy: Increased Geothermal Development Will Depend on
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[End of section]
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Enclosure III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
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James R. McTigue, Jr., at (202) 512-7968 or mctiguej@gao.gov or Frank
Rusco at (202) 512-3841 or ruscof@gao.gov.
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[End of section]
Footnotes:
[1] Pub. L. No.111-84 (2009).
[2] The committee report accompanying H.R. 2647, a bill for the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.
[3] There is considerable overlap between the two lists of issues, and
seven of the eight issues are substantively similar. The one issue
that is in section 332 that is not reflected in the committee report
(H.R. Rep. No. 111-166) relates to DOD's making a determination of the
cost and feasibility of developing or acquiring equipment or systems
that would result in maximized use of renewable energy sources at
contingency locations.
[4] GAO, Defense Infrastructure: Department of Defense's Energy
Supplemental Report, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-988R] (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 29,
2010).
[5] Pub. L. No. 110-417 (2008)
[6] Pub. L. No. 111-84, §332 (2009).
[7] GAO, Defense Infrastructure: Department of Defense’s Energy
Supplemental Report, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-988R] (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 29,
2010).
[8] Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP)-–An Office of the
Secretary of Defense centrally managed, project-oriented element
within the Defense-wide military construction account that is
programmed annually and represents the primary direct DOD investment
in energy and water conservation.
[9] Energy Savings Performance Contracts allow federal agencies to
hire a contractor to develop energy-conservation or renewable-energy
projects with the expectation that the annual savings from the project
will fund the project’s annual costs.
[10] Although the statute refers to renewable-energy credits, in its
report DOD referred to them as renewable-energy certificates.
Renewable-energy certificates are tradable, non tangible energy
commodities, that can be bought and sold between multiple parties, and
represent the environmental attributes of renewable-energy generation.
Generation of renewable energy in effect produces two products: the
energy and accompanying renewable-energy certificate.
[11] (1)Title 10 U.S.C. §2911(e) mandates that renewable energy
(electric and non electric) produced or procured must total 25 percent
of total electricity consumption by the year 2025, and (2) the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 mandates that 5 percent of electricity consumption
come from renewable sources, increasing to 7.5 percent by 2013.
[12] Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards –are an
internationally recognized green building certification system.Green
building practices are construction and maintenance practices designed
to make efficient use of resources, reduce environmental problems, and
provide long-term financial and health benefits through lower annual
operating costs and better indoor air quality.According to DOD, DOD
Instruction 4170.11 and Executive Order 13514 require new buildings to
be constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver
standards, where cost effective.
[13] A net-zero energy installation is one that produces as much
energy on-site or nearby as it consumes in its buildings and
facilities, and maximizes the use of renewable energy resources.
[End of section]
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